We cannot stress enough how important books are for the world. Reading is not only for our entertainment; the power of reading elevates communities by providing vital education for so many children and adults. Data from UNESCO reveals that, while the figures have improved over the past decades, 754 million million adults still lack the ability to read and write. Those most affected by these statistics stem from mostly impoverished populations.
Improving literacy is crucial for promoting advancement in our own communities, as well as internationally. If you are looking for ways to help with this mission, there are numerous organizations that make it their goal to enhance reading proficiency through donations, volunteering, and education. If you are interested in lending a hand, we have compiled a list of some of our favorite bookish organizations.
Reach Out and Read
First on our list is Reach Out and Read, an organization that encourages reading as a daily routine, especially for young children. Stationed in pediatric doctors’ offices, these volunteers stress the importance of reading to the parents of young ones, while offering training, resources, and support. Their idea is that building a daily routine within families builds stronger relationships at home, which leads to a better future for the children.
Reach Out and Read offers multiple ways in which you can support; they take monetary donations as well as book donations. You can find a toolkit on their website that provides information on how to host a virtual or in-person book drive. To spread the word on their cause, you can post a video highlighting your at-home reading routine with your children and tag #ReadTogether. For clinical practices, they provide information on how to start your own program within your office. Additionally, they are asking for volunteers at clinics to read to patients and families.
Book Harvest
Based in North Carolina, Book Harvest is another organization calling for literacy in every community. Since 2011, they have provided 2.4 million books to families. Similar to Reach Out and Read, they encourage reading at home with parents and young children, stressing how most of a child’s brain development happens in the first three years of life. In 2020, Book Harvest was recognized by the Library of Congress with a Literacy Award for Best Practices.
Book Harvest also takes donations for books, taking in selections for children from 0 to 18. They offer several different drop-off locations throughout North Carolina and accept shipments via the United States Postal Service. They also offer resources for starting your own book drive. They happily accept volunteers to help with a variety of different tasks, which include sorting received books. More information on how you can sign up to volunteer can be found here.
Book Spring
This Austin based group named Book Spring has been encouraging children to read since 1974. Similar to Reach Out and Read, Book Spring reaches out through healthcare resources, education, and the community to spark interest in solidifying a reading routine for families. Book Spring has also developed their own Theory of Change which lays out a plan to elevate brain development through reading and family interaction. Book Spring is a nonsectarian, nonpartisan, and inclusive environment.
There are three ways to help Book Spring: give money, give books, and give time. Book Spring takes in book donations and has staffed locations during the weekdays. On the weekend, there are drop bins available. More information on what type of books they can accept and how to host book drives can be found here. They also accept volunteers to read to children, sort books, and make deliveries. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, you can sign up here.
Book Aid International
While we have been discussing organizations that help their immediate communities, Book Aid International focuses their intentions worldwide. They strive to help refugees and impoverished communities that have been affected by conflicts or natural disasters. Their belief is that books are powerful and give readers power to improve their lives and connect with the world. Besides donating books internationally, they also build reading spaces and train teachers and librarians.
One of the resources Book Aid offers for volunteers to help is by hosting their Reverse Book Club. Instead of receiving a book, volunteers can pay a monthly donation to send a book to someone in need. They also offer a variety of different ways to donate a monetary value to support their cause.
The Book Fairies
Situated in Long Island, New York, the Book Fairies have disturbed 5 million books to children in need since 2012. Their good deeds have even been featured on Good Morning America. Their aim is to show that providing opportunities and resources for children to learn and grow leads to hoisting up the community. As a non-governmental and non-denominational organization, they target different libraries and schools that have less resources.
If you are interested in becoming a Book Fairy, they offer quick training for volunteers to help with incoming book donations. More info can be found here. They also accept book donations and offer resources to host book drives.
Little Free Library
You may have seen a Little Free Library in your own neighborhood. This is no surprise since LFL is now hosted in 128 countries with over 175,000 libraries. If you haven’t seen them, LFL are little adorable wooden libraries placed within neighborhoods. Instead of driving to a library or bookstore, this resource offers 24/7 access within walking distance from your home. LFL also focuses on constructing their little spaces in high-need areas. LFL’s data also shows that a presence of one of their libraries brightens neighborhoods; studies show 72% of people with these spaces have met more neighbors due to LFL, and 98% say their neighborhood feels like a friendlier place.
LFL accepts monetary donations, either as a one time or monthly payment. They also host fun library building events, which is perfect for company events or youth team building. More information on these events can be found here.
Even though book banning has been rampant in the news, reading books is still incredibly important for everyone. As we have learned from these organizations, books are specifically important for children and their development. We have also learned how powerful books are in strengthening our community. So if you feel you would like to give back something to your community, get involved with these bookish organizations!
To get more inspiration on how to help your community in a bookish way, check out our article: Booksellers: A Safe Space for Readers to Combat Against Banned Books.
For a listing of various important books you should check out next, dive into our bookshelf: Banned Books: Because We Stand With the Well Informed!
